2024 International Championship
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 3–10 November 2024 |
| Venue | SNCNFC |
| City | Nanjing |
| Country | China |
| Organisation | World Snooker Tour |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £825,000 |
| Winner's share | £175,000 |
| Highest break |  Xu Si (CHN) (147) |
| Final | |
| Champion | |
| Runner-up | |
| Score | – |
← 2023 | |
The 2024 International Championship is a professional snooker tournament that is taking place from 3 to 10 November 2024 at the South New City National Fitness Center (SNCNFC) in Nanjing, China. The eighth ranking event of the 2024–25 season, it follows the 2024 Northern Ireland Open and precedes the 2024 UK Championship. The winner will receive £175,000 from a total prize fund of £825,000.
Qualifiers took place from 30 September to 2 October 2024 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England. Qualifying matches featuring the defending champion (Zhang Anda); the reigning World Champion (Kyren Wilson); the two highest ranked Chinese players other than Zhang (Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui); four Chinese wildcards (Zhou Jinhao, Wang Xinbo, Cai Wei, and Zheng Dian); and Ronnie O'Sullivan were held over to be played in Nanjing.
Zhang won the 2023 event by defeating Tom Ford 10–6 in the final, capturing his maiden ranking title,[1] but he failed to defend the title losing 1–6 to Lyu Haotian in the last 32.
Format
[edit]The event is the tenth iteration of the International Championship, first held in 2012. The event is taking place from 3 to 10 November 2024 in Nanjing, China. Nanjing will host the tournament for three consecutive years from 2024 to 2026.[2][3]
Qualifying for the event was held from 30 September to 2 October 2024 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England.[4]
Matches are the best of 11 frames until the semi‑finals, which are the best of 17 frames played over two sessions, and the final is a best of 19 frames match, also played over two sessions.[5]
The qualifying was broadcast by Discovery+ in Europe (including the United Kingdom and Ireland) and by the CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin and Huya Live in China. It was available from Matchroom Sport in all other territories.[6]
The main event is being broadcast domestically in China by CCTV-5, the CBSA-WPBSA Academy WeChat Channel, the CBSA-WPBSA Academy Douyin and Huya Live; by Eurosport and Discovery+ in Europe (including the United Kingdom and Ireland); by Now TV in Hong Kong; by Astro SuperSport in Malaysia and Brunei; by TAP in the Philippines; by Sportcast in Taiwan; and by True Sports in Thailand. It is available from Matchroom Sport in all other territories.[7]
Prize fund
[edit]The breakdown of prize money for this event is shown below:[3]
- Winner: £175,000
- Runner-up: £75,000
- Semi-final: £33,000
- Quarter-final: £22,000
- Last 16: £14,000
- Last 32: £9,000
- Last 64: £5,000
- Highest break: £5,000
- Total: £825,000
Summary
[edit]Qualifying round
[edit]In his 6–4 win over Lei Peifan, Thai player Thepchaiya Un-Nooh missed the final black of a potential maximum break for the third time in his career.[8][9]
Early rounds
[edit]Held over matches
[edit]The held-over qualifying matches were played on 3 November as the best of 11 frames.[10] Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Mink Nutcharut 6–3 making two century breaks, Zhang Anda defeated Ishpreet Singh Chadha 6–5, Ding Junhui whitewashed Reanne Evans, Kyren Wilson also whitewashed Mitchell Mann, and Si Jiahui beat Andrew Pagett 6–4.[11]
Last 64
[edit]The last 64 matches were played on 3 and 4 November as the best of 11 frames.[5] On 3 November John Higgins recovered from 0–3 down to beat Ben Woollaston 6–4, Mark Selby also came back from 2–4 down to beat Jamie Clarke 6–4, Xiao Guodong whitewashed Ricky Walden, Xu Si beat Stan Moody 6–5, Matthew Stevens defeated amateur player Simon Blackwell 6–5, and Pang Junxu beat Elliot Slessor also by 6–5.[11] On 4 November Neil Robertson made four century breaks in his whitewash of Fan Zhengyi, Barry Hawkins beat Joe Perry 6–2, and O'Sullivan defeated He Guoqiang also by 6–2. Ding beat Martin O'Donnell 6–1, Kyren Wilson defeated Liu Hongyu 6–3, Judd Trump whitewashed Sanderson Lam, and Mark Allen beat Aaron Hill 6–1.[12]
Last 32
[edit]
The last 32 matches were played on 5 November as the best of 11 frames.[5] Xu made his second career maximum break in his 6–2 victory over Ryan Day.[13] Pang defeated 5th seed O'Sullivan 6–4, and Trump beat Joe O'Connor, also by 6–4. Hawkins beat Neil Robertson 6–1, Kyren Wilson made three century breaks in his 6–4 victory over Wu Yize, and Xiao defeated 4th seed Allen 6–2. Chris Wakelin beat 9th seed Shaun Murphy 6–3, and Ding whitewashed Hossein Vafaei. Defending champion and top seed Zhang was beaten 1–6 by Lyu Haotian.[14]
Last 16
[edit]The last 16 matches were played on 6 November as the best of 11 frames.[5] In the morning session Wakelin beat 8th seed Mark Williams, Xu beat 3rd seed Trump, and Jackson Page beat Pang, all by 6–4. In the match between Lyu and Higgins, frame 10 was decided on a re‑spotted black, which Higgins won to force a deciding frame. The match was then taken off, to be concluded later. When they resumed, Higgins won the decider. Kyren Wilson beat Hawkins 6–2, Xiao beat Jack Lisowski 6–3, Ding beat Jiang Jun, 6–3, and Gary Wilson beat 6th seed Selby also by 6–3.[15]
Later rounds
[edit]Quarter finals
[edit]The quarter-finals were played on 7 November as the best of 11 frames.[5] In the afternoon session Xiao beat Page 6–4, making two century breaks. In the match between Wakelin and Higgins, the match was taken off at 5–5 to be resumed later.[16] In the evening session Ding beat Kyren Wilson 6–4 making century breaks in the last two frames. Wakelin took the deciding frame to defeat Higgins 6–5, and Xu beat Gary Wilson, also by 6–5.[17] Higgins was annoyed to have his match delayed, for the second time in two days. His defeat means that he fails to qualify for the upcoming Champion of Champions event.[18]
Semi finals
[edit]The semi-finals will be played on 8 and 9 November as the best of 17 frames, played over two sessions. On 8 November Wakelin is playing Xiao, and on 9 November Xu is playing Ding.[5]
Final
[edit]The final will be played on 10 November as the best of 19 frames, played over two sessions.[5]
Main draw
[edit]The draw for the tournament is shown below. Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeded players, and players in bold denote match winners.[19][5]
Top half
[edit]
- Note: w/d=withdrawn; w/o=walkover
Bottom half
[edit]| Last 64 Best of 11 frames | Last 32 Best of 11 frames | Last 16 Best of 11 frames | Quarter-finals Best of 11 frames | Semi-finals Best of 17 frames | ||||||||||||||
 Judd Trump (ENG) (3)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Sanderson Lam (ENG)
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Judd Trump (3)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Joe O'Connor (30)
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Joe O'Connor (ENG) (30)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
 Anthony McGill (SCO)
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Judd Trump (3)
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Xu Si
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Stan Moody (ENG)
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Xu Si (CHN)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Xu Si
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
 Ryan Day (19)
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Ryan Day (WAL) (19)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Daniel Womersley (ENG) (a)[d]
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Xu Si
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Gary Wilson (11)
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Robbie Williams (ENG)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Stuart Carrington (ENG)
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Robbie Williams
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Gary Wilson (11)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Dean Young (SCO)
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Gary Wilson (ENG) (11)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Gary Wilson (11)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Mark Selby (6)
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Jimmy Robertson (ENG)
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
 Noppon Saengkham (THA) (27)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Noppon Saengkham (27)
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Mark Selby (6)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Jamie Clarke (WAL)
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Mark Selby (ENG) (6)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Xu Si
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Ding Junhui (10)
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Jiang Jun (CHN)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
 Amir Sarkhosh (IRN)
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Jiang Jun
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Yuan Sijun
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Michael Holt (ENG)
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Yuan Sijun (CHN)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Jiang Jun
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Ding Junhui (10)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Ding Junhui (CHN) (10)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Martin O'Donnell (ENG)
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Ding Junhui (10)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Hossein Vafaei (23)
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (23)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Dylan Emery (WAL) (a)
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Ding Junhui (10)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Kyren Wilson (2)
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Joe Perry (ENG)
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Barry Hawkins (ENG) (18)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Barry Hawkins (18)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
 Neil Robertson (15)
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Fan Zhengyi (CHN)
| 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Neil Robertson (AUS) (15)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Barry Hawkins (18)
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Kyren Wilson (2)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Andrew Higginson (ENG)
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Wu Yize (CHN) (31)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Wu Yize (31)
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Kyren Wilson (2)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Liu Hongyu (CHN)
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| Kyren Wilson (ENG) (2)
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||
Final
[edit]| Final: Best of 19 frames. Referee: SNCNFC, Nanjing, China, 10 November 2023 | ||
| – | ||
| Afternoon: Evening: | ||
| Highest break | ||
| Century breaks | ||
Qualifying
[edit]Qualification for the tournament took place from 30 September to 2 October 2024 at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, England.[4] Numbers in parentheses after the players' names denote the top 32 seeded players, and players in bold denote match winners.[20][10]
Nanjing
[edit]Qualifying matches featuring the defending champion (Zhang Anda); the reigning World Champion (Kyren Wilson); the two highest ranked Chinese players other than Zhang (Ding Junhui and Si Jiahui); four Chinese wildcards (Zhou Jinhao, Wang Xinbo, Cai Wei, and Zheng Dian);[5] and Ronnie O'Sullivan were held over to be played in Nanjing. The results of the held‑over matches played on 3 November 2024 were as follows:[10][19]
Morning session
[edit]
Zhang Anda (CHN) (1) 6–5 
Ishpreet Singh Chadha (IND)
David Grace (ENG) 6–2 Zhou Jinhao (CHN)- Si Jiahui (CHN) (13) 6–4
Andrew Pagett (WAL) 
Hossein Vafaei (IRN) (23) 6–4 Zheng Dian (CHN)
Afternoon session
[edit]- Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) (5) 6–3
Mink Nutcharut (THA) - Ali Carter (ENG) (12) 6–1 Cai Wei (CHN)
- Noppon Saengkham (THA) (27) 6–3 Wang Xinbo (CHN)
- Kyren Wilson (ENG) (2) 6–0 Mitchell Mann (ENG)
Evening session
[edit]- Ding Junhui (CHN) (10) 6–0 Reanne Evans (ENG)
Sheffield
[edit]The results of the qualifying matches played in Sheffield were as follows:[20][10]
30 September
[edit]- Chris Wakelin (ENG) (24) 6–2
Cheung Ka Wai (HKG) 
Anthony McGill (SCO) 6–1 Ashley Carty (ENG)- Xiao Guodong (CHN) (29) 6–3 Kreishh Gurbaxani (IND)
- Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 6–0 Jimmy White (ENG)
- Pang Junxu (CHN) 6–1
Iulian Boiko (UKR) (a) - Wu Yize (CHN) (31) 6–4 Wang Yuchen (HKG)
- Mark Williams (WAL) (8) 6–0
Haris Tahir (PAK) - Judd Trump (ENG) (3) 6–1 Chris Totten (SCO)
- Tian Pengfei (CHN) 5–6 Dean Young (SCO)
- Fan Zhengyi (CHN) 6–3 Long Zehuang (CHN)
- Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) 6–4 Lei Peifan (CHN)
- Liam Davies (WAL) 2–6 Daniel Womersley (ENG) (a)[d]
- Scott Donaldson (SCO) 3–6 Dylan Emery (WAL) (a)
- Graeme Dott (SCO) 4–6
Ben Mertens (BEL) - Martin O'Donnell (ENG) 6–2 Julien Leclercq (BEL)
- Stuart Bingham (ENG) (25) 6–0 Liam Graham (SCO)
- Stephen Maguire (SCO) (32) 2–6 Haydon Pinhey (ENG)
- John Higgins (SCO) (17) 6–1
Ken Doherty (IRL) - Xu Si (CHN) 6–5
Ahmed Aly Elsayed (USA) - Jamie Clarke (WAL) 6–3
Mostafa Dorgham (EGY)
1 October
[edit]- Zhou Yuelong (CHN) (26) 5–6 Michael Holt (ENG)
- Jimmy Robertson (ENG) 6–5 Sunny Akani (THA)
- Mark Selby (ENG) (6) 6–3
Artemijs Žižins (LVA) - Gary Wilson (ENG) (11) 6–3 Hammad Miah (ENG)
- Lyu Haotian (CHN) 6–5 Marco Fu (HKG)
- Jak Jones (WAL) (16) 5–6 Simon Blackwell (ENG) (a)
- Mark Davis (ENG) 6–1 Baipat Siripaporn (THA)
Jordan Brown (NIR) 4–6 Gong Chenzhi (CHN)- Sanderson Lam (ENG) 6–5
Alexander Ursenbacher (SUI) - Elliot Slessor (ENG) 6–3 Manasawin Phetmalaikul (THA)
- Shaun Murphy (ENG) (9) 6–4 Louis Heathcote (ENG)
- Luca Brecel (BEL) (7) 3–6 Jiang Jun (CHN)
- Tom Ford (ENG) (14) 2–6 Stan Moody (ENG)
- Robbie Williams (ENG) (19) 6–3 Allan Taylor (ENG)
- Barry Hawkins (ENG) (18) 6–1 Joshua Thomond (ENG) (a)
- Robert Milkins (ENG) (22) 4–6 Stuart Carrington (ENG)
- Ben Woollaston (ENG) 6–4 Duane Jones (WAL)
- Aaron Hill (IRL) 6–2 Liam Pullen (ENG)
Neil Robertson (AUS) (15) 6–1 Alfie Burden (ENG)- David Lilley (ENG) 3–6 Amir Sarkhosh (IRN)
- Dominic Dale (WAL) 4–6 Zak Surety (ENG)
- Joe O'Connor (ENG) (30) 6–1 Robbie McGuigan (NIR)
2 October
[edit]- Yuan Sijun (CHN) 6–1 Ian Burns (ENG)
- Matthew Stevens (WAL) 6–0 Huang Jiahao (CHN)
- Ricky Walden (ENG) 6–4 Xing Zihao (CHN)
- He Guoqiang (CHN) 6–1
Antoni Kowalski (POL) - Ryan Day (WAL) (19) 6–5 Ma Hailong (CHN)
- Liu Hongyu (CHN) 6–5
Rory Thor (MAS) - David Gilbert (ENG) (21) 6–2 Bai Yulu (CHN)
- Jack Lisowski (ENG) (20) 6–5
Bulcsú Révész (HUN) - Daniel Wells (WAL) 2–6 Ross Muir (SCO)
- Jackson Page (WAL) 6–2 Oliver Lines (ENG)
- Joe Perry (ENG) 6–1
Jonas Luz (BRA) - Mark Allen (NIR) (4) 6–3 Farakh Ajaib (PAK)
- Matthew Selt (ENG) 5–6 Andrew Higginson (ENG)
Century breaks
[edit]Main stage centuries
[edit]A total of 88 century breaks have been made during the main stage of the tournament in Nanjing.[21]
- 147, 112, 104, 101 – Xu Si[13]
- 143, 127, 121, 117, 109, 105, 101 – Kyren Wilson
- 142, 118 – Ben Mertens
- 140, 103 – Matthew Stevens
- 138 – Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
- 136, 127, 113 – Joe O'Connor
- 136, 125, 123, 106, 105 – Gary Wilson
- 135, 135, 109, 102 – Neil Robertson
- 135, 130, 122, 110 – Xiao Guodong
- 134, 130, 118, 107, 103 – Jiang Jun
- 133, 117, 112 – John Higgins
- 132, 124 – Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 131, 106 – Zhang Anda
- 131 – Aaron Hill
- 129, 124, 123, 109, 107 – Ding Junhui
- 128, 107 – Barry Hawkins
- 125 – Michael Holt
- 123, 120 – Pang Junxu
- 121 – Gong Chenzhi
- 121 – Mark Williams
- 120, 119 – Si Jiahui
- 120, 111, 109, 104 – Yuan Sijun
- 119, 107 – Noppon Saengkham
- 118, 110, 104 – Jack Lisowski
- 117, 101 – Jackson Page
- 116, 112, 102 – Chris Wakelin
- 116, 104 – Hossein Vafaei
- 114, 112 – Mark Selby
- 112, 101, 100 – Wu Yize
- 111, 100 – Jamie Clarke
- 108 – Haydon Pinhey
- 107 – Stuart Carrington
- 107 – David Grace
- 107 – Judd Trump
- 103 – Mark Allen
- 101 – Ali Carter
Qualifying stage centuries
[edit]A total of 42 century breaks were made during the qualifying stage of the tournament in Sheffield.[22]
- 143, 103 – Mark Selby
- 140, 102 – Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
- 140 – Elliot Slessor
- 139 – Fan Zhengyi
- 137 – Ashley Carty
- 135 – Marco Fu
- 134, 133 – Rory Thor
- 131 – Xiao Guodong
- 130, 113 – Louis Heathcote
- 127, 123 – Mark Allen
- 126, 120 – Gary Wilson
- 125 – Shaun Murphy
- 121 – Anthony McGill
- 119 – Stuart Bingham
- 119 – John Higgins
- 116 – Michael Holt
- 113, 104 – Jiang Jun
- 112, 102 – Jimmy Robertson
- 110 – Yuan Sijun
- 109 – Alfie Burden
- 108 – Jack Lisowski
- 107 – Robbie Williams
- 106 – Gong Chenzhi
- 104, 100 – David Gilbert
- 104 – Lei Peifan
- 104 – Daniel Wells
- 104 – Ben Woollaston
- 103, 101 – Zhou Yuelong
- 103 – Judd Trump
- 100 – Dylan Emery
- 100 – Neil Robertson
- 100 – Mark Williams
Notes
[edit]- ^ Zak Surety withdrew and so Chris Wakelin was given a walkover to the last 32.[5]
- ^ Anthony Hamilton withdrew and so Shaun Murphy was given a walkover to the last 32.[5]
- ^ Mark Davis withdrew and so Mark Williams was given a walkover to the last 32.[5]
- ^ a b Daniel Womersley replaced Jamie Jones who withdrew.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Zhang lands Tianjin glory". World Snooker Tour. 12 November 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "Nanjing ready to stage International Championship". World Snooker Tour. 30 September 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ a b "International Championship". World Snooker Tour. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ a b "BetVictor Northern Ireland Open and International Championship qualifiers draw". World Snooker Tour. 24 September 2024. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "International Championship". snooker.org. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "How to watch the qualifiers". World Snooker Tour. 25 September 2024. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "How to Watch the International Championship". World Snooker Tour. 30 October 2024. Archived from the original on 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Un-Nooh misses black for 147". World Snooker Tour. 30 September 2024. Archived from the original on 30 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ Drury, Sam (30 September 2024). "Un-Nooh misses final black for 147 for third time". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "International Championship qualifiers". snooker.org. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ a b "International Championship day one". World Snooker Tour. 3 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "International Championship day two". World Snooker Tour. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Xu makes Nanjing maximum". World Snooker Tour. 5 November 2024. Archived from the original on 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "International Championship day three". World Snooker Tour. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "International Championship day four". World Snooker Tour. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ "Xiao into top 16 for first time". World Snooker Tour. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Resurgent Ding topples Crucible king Wilson". World Snooker Tour. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "Angry Higgins beaten in quarter-finals by Wakelin". BBC Sport. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ a b "International Championship 2024 matches". World Snooker Tour. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ a b "International Championship 2024 qualifiers matches". World Snooker Tour. 2 October 2024. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "Tournament centuries". snookerinfo.co.uk. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ "Centuries: International Championship qualifiers - 42". snookerinfo.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.